HALE'IWA — As the city began a planning process for wastewater treatment on the North Shore, residents were assured that any system designed would have no ocean outfall, nor would it create opportunity for development.

In an unusual move, the city has created a core working group of North Shore leaders that met for the first time yesterday to help develop alternatives for wastewater treatment in a community that treasures its rural and ocean-recreation lifestyle.

Unlike Honolulu communities, the North Shore has no central sewage treatment facility. Each home has a septic system or cesspool, which the state no longer allows on O'ahu and the Environmental Protection Agency outlawed for large-scale complexes.

The city and the community have discussed this issue before and came up with several proposals since 1987 to treat sewage on the North Shore, including building small plants in each community, a centralized plant and a wetland system, said Tim Houghton, executive assistant with the city Department of Environmental Services. Back then residents raised objections or funding never materialized, Houghton told the working group.

"Nobody wants to talk about an ocean outfall," he said. "We got that message. That's not on the table here and certainly that's not on the table going forward."

And under a key guideline to follow the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan, the alternatives won't promote development, Houghton said.

"This does not provide opportunity for development that's not in the sustainable communities plan," he said.

Residents still were concerned about development and how any project might be financed.

The geographic area under discussion includes communities located within the North Shore Neighborhood Board boundaries from Crawford Home to Mokule'ia and Waialua.

Bob Leinau, a core working group member, and others thought planning should go beyond Crawford Home and include Turtle Bay.

Antya Miller, executive director of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, said plans should also include Wahiawa, Whitmore Village and Lake Wilson, since discharged wastewater in Lake Wilson affects part of the North Shore as farmers use the water for irrigation.

Engineering firm Brown and Caldwell will develop engineering alternatives based on values and guidelines, said Peter Ono, project manager. Ono said the company comes to the table without bias except for one.

Since the community is rural, small decentralized systems throughout would probably work best, Ono said.

"It's a little bit of a bias but we think it's appropriate for out here," he said. It's especially good because people have expressed a desire to reuse the water and solids from the systems in the communities, Ono said.

Small decentralized systems were recommended by a North Shore Neighborhood Board Wastewater Task Force a couple of years ago, and several people said they were pleased that the systems would be included in the discussions.

"I appreciate that a lot because it's not like we're re-creating the wheel," said Kalani Fronda, property manager for Kamehameha Schools.

Tim Haverly, a North Shore resident, said he came into the meeting with doubts but thought the process would work well.

"Everything they covered here covers my concerns, especially the transparency of the process," Haverly said. "Having the people from the community involved, I think is very important."

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.